Can you do the math? This test paper made school students cry in New Zealand

Students said a school-level mathematics examination in New Zealand was so tough that it made some of them cry.

The NZQA mathematics test was a “disaster for the second year in a row”, a teacher said.(iStockphoto)

New Zealand has launched an investigation after a secondary school examination reportedly left Class 11 students in tears over questions too complex for their syllabus.

The New Zealand Qualifications Authority has been criticised by students, parents and teachers for the “far too difficult” algebra examination that was held on Monday, a Stuff.co.nz report said.

Another report said the NZQA mathematics test was a “disaster for the second year in a row”, prompting the country’s education minister to ask for a “full report on the matter”.

“NCEA seems to be experimenting with a new format for their Tables, Equations, and Graphs paper. But 2017’s Year 11 students, do not want to be guinea pigs for a National Certificate that their future schooling and careers will be based off of,” New Zealand Herald quoted a teacher, Talia Thomas, as saying.

Several teachers said the test included questions not covered in the syllabus and longwinded instructions.

“In total, out of about probably over 15 questions, I answered probably two or three like a lot of other people I talked to after. I also know a lot of people just left the paper completely blank,” a student who took the test told New Zealand Herald.

Here is a section of the test paper released by the NZQA and uploaded on Scribd by stuffnewsroom.